Rekindling of the Sacred Flames
by DragonoftheMidwest
Summary: END GAME SPOILERS At Tataroo Valley, the group gets a surprise that nobody was expecting. Aschtalia-focused.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I decided to do a continuation of The Night Before. If you haven't read that, then I suggest you do before hand. Link to The Night Before**

* * *

Two years had passed since the defeat of Vandesdelca and the New Order of Lorelei. Luke's coming of age ceremony had begun, and his closest friends were nowhere to be found. Though they were invited, everybody knew that they would choose to gather at Tataroo Valley rather than gather around the Scion of Lorelei's grave.

_Toue lei zue kro ryou toue zue_

Tear sang her heart out, wishing more than anybody that Luke would come back.

_Kro ryou zue toue ryou lei neu ryou zue_

Guy closed his eyes, remembering both times that he had lost loved ones on Hod.

_Va lei zue toue neu toue ryou toue kro_

Anise thanked Lorelei and Yulia Jue for giving her and Florian the strength to rebuild the Order in honor of Ion.

_Ryuo lei kro ryuo zue lei va zue lei_

Jade solemnly stared ahead, cursing himself for creating the horrible technology that had caused Van to make this mess. At the same time, he was grateful that his technology ended up saving the world from the Score of Destruction.

_Va neu va lei va neu va zue lei_

Mieu hummed along, remembering how much his Master secretly loved when Tear sang her hymns.

_Kro ryou kro neu toue lei kro ryo zeu lei va_

Natalia wept freely, mourning her beloved friends and the future that she had hoped to build with them, and especially the one that she had planned with Asch.

_Lei va neu kro toue lei lei_

Tear finished her hymn, and everybody remained silent for a few moments. Jade finally sighed, "We should head back; the valley is dangerous at night." Pushing his glasses up, he turned and strode back towards where Noelle was waiting with the Albiore. One by one, the others followed; leaving Tear and Natalia behind momentarily to gaze upon the ruins of Eldrant. Natalia gently laid a hand on Tear's shoulder before also turning to return to the Albiore. Tear took that as a sign to return as well. She collected Mieu in her arms and followed Princess Natalia to join their friends. Looking over her shoulder, she had to do a double take when she saw the figure approaching them from the ruins. The long hair, the sword strapped across his lower back, the way he carried himself. She gasped, it had to be him. Tear ran to close the distance between her and the figure.

"Why are you here?" She asked him, not trusting herself to say more than that. She heard the footsteps of the others as they came to see what had caused her to gasp.

The man before her chuckled, his red hair covering his eyes. "This place has a nice view of Hod. Besides, I promised, didn't I?" He opened his arms to Tear, and she fell into his embrace.

Natalia made it to them first, and upon realizing that Luke had returned, smiled faintly. At least one of the Duke's sons had been able to return. "Welcome back, Luke." Her voice was close to breaking as she reminded herself that she will never see Asch again, and that the letter she had received last year at her own coming of age ceremony was still real.

* * *

One year and six months prior

_The entire city of Baticul was decked out in banners. Doors were covered in ribbons of the Princess's favorite color of Aqua. Emperor Peony IX and Colonel Jade Curtiss of the Third Division of the Malkuth Imperial Forces, and Lord Gailardia Galan Gardios from the Malkuth Empire were visiting; as well and Fon Master Florian, Fon Master Guard Anise Tatlin and Locrian Sargent Tear Grants of the Order of Lorelei. Shops closed down and the entire Kingdom was celebrating the coming of age of Princess Natalia luzu Kimlasca-Landvaldeer. _

_ In the palace gardens, Natalia's close friends and family gathered to give her gifts for her birthday. Peony had given her a portrait of the Rappig that he had named after her. Jade had given her a new Capacity Core. Florian and Anise had given her a new bow that was similar to the ones that the now-disbanded Oracle Knights had used. Tear presented her with a book on the history of Yulia City. Guy had brought her a necklace that he had designed himself and was made in Sheridan. _

_ A guard approached the group and cleared his throat, "A miss Noir is her for you, Princess Natalia. She claims that she has a letter from an Asch."_

_ Natalia almost knocked everybody over as she stood up and ran to the gate that she saw Noir standing at. Noir had removed her signature hat and wasn't smirking as usual. Seeing this, Natalia slowed and pondered what the letter from Asch could possibly contain. The little parchment envelope was in her gloved hands, and a black wax seal stood out against the rest of the envelope. Noir approached the Princess and presented the envelope to her. Natalia took it with shaking hands. She felt Guy and the others crowding around her, but at a respectable distance, as she broke the seal and pulled the letter out. _

My dearest Princess Natalia,

I instructed Noir to deliver this upon your next birthday if needed. So before I begin the painful part, I wish the happiest of birthdays to you, my love.

If you are reading this, then I perished in Eldrant and can no longer keep my promise to you. It breaks my heart to know that you may have to read this. I wish that instead, I could be by your side, and asking your Father for permission to marry you once I myself come of age.

Please do not stop yourself from marrying or doing anything else that you saw us doing together after I returned home for good. I want you to live life to the fullest. Find somebody to change our country together with. Find somebody that you can live happily with while you raise the next heir to the throne and will make you happy in all of the ways I would have.

I have also included a written dissolution of our engagement for your father, so he cannot force you to marry Luke if he survived.

My only request is that you do not marry Luke in hopes of him turning out to be what you had hoped me to be. I don't want you to spend your life trying to make him into something he isn't. You would end up only being disappointed, and I don't want that for you.

Once again, happy birthday, my Princess,

Asch the Bloody

Asch the Bloody

God General and Commander of Special of Operations of the Oracle Knights

The Original Luke fon Fabre

_Natalia's eyes widened in shock as she read through the letter. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized that Asch really was dead. Falling to her knees and sobbing, she dropped the letter and covered her face as she openly mourned Asch. She heard somebody pick up the envelope and felt Tear's comforting embrace. Hushed male voices began to break through to her, as King Ingobert and Emperor Peony discussed the contents of the letter and the dissolution of her engagement. _

* * *

Guy's voice brought her out of her memories. "Natalia, look!" He pointed further into the valley, where another figure that the others hadn't yet seen was approaching. This figure was making slower progress than Luke had, and seemed to be struggling to walk completely upright.

Natalia looked from the figure, to Guy, and back to the figure. She wanted to hope, but she knew that hoping in regards to him since that night in Chesedonia had only hurt her. "Guy, will you come with me?" She asked over her shoulder. The Malkuth noble nodded in response. They slowly approached the now stumbling figure, leaving the others to continue the reunion with Luke. The closer they got, the harder it got for Natalia to run to the man. He had his hair, he was the right height and grunts he made as he fell sounded like him. She wanted it to be her beloved Asch, but she couldn't be sure until they were face to face.

Suddenly, the man collapsed and didn't try to get back up. Natalia and Guy broke into a run, hoping that it wasn't too late. The man was lying face down on the ground. Natalia rolled him over and gasped when she realized that it was him. "Asch," was all she could manage as she picked his torso up and held him close. She felt his eyelids flutter at the sound of her voice.

"My princess." He whispered in her ear before his body went limp. Natalia panicked before realizing he was still breathing.

"Guy, go get Noelle and try to get the Albiore as close as possible! We need to get him to a bed quickly. I'll try to help him with fonic artes here until you return. Have Jade send a message to my Father and Duke Fabre about the situation. Tell them we'll return to Baticul once Asch is strong enough."

"I'm on it!" Guy stood and ran at breakneck speed towards where they had left the Albiore. He couldn't believe that both Asch and Luke had returned. Luke was surprising, but Asch was flat out unbelievable. Asch had actually _died_ before they had fought Van. They would have a lot of explaining to do back in Baticul.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry it took a while to get this up! I was having trouble deciding how Guy should fit into all of this, but I think I finally figured it out.  
**

* * *

The first thing Asch felt when he woke up was agonizing pain. Lorelei had warned him about residual pain from when he had died, even though his wounds had been healed. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, and was simply listening to his surroundings. He was in a bed, and somebody's head was at his side. A faint snoring was coming from the direction of the head. His arms were at his sides under the blankets, and somebody had put him into what felt like soft pajamas.

He was about to open his eyes and look at his sleeping companion when the door opened. A deep sigh met his ears and he felt somebody shake his companion, or his companion's chair. "Natalia, wake up, I brought you some tea." That was Guy. Asch kept his eyes shut; he wasn't ready to face anybody that wasn't Natalia just yet. She deserved to be the first to hear what had happened to him. The head by his side, now identified as Natalia, lifted from the bed. He heard her yawn softly,

"Thank you, Guy." She sounded exhausted. "He still hasn't woken up yet, I'm worried."

"You'd think he'd be plenty rested after being dead for two years." Asch could hear the smirk in Guy's voice. "You're right, awful joke, and don't give me that look. Anyway, Jade said he's never seen anything like this before. Neither of them should be here."

"I'm just thankful that they are here. I thought I was going crazy when I saw him in my arms last night. I healed his broken bones, and his organs all seem to be working fine. I have a doctor coming in later today to do a more thorough analysis of both of them. They should both be okay."

"Will _you_ be okay? I mean, he keeps disappearing and reappearing. Do you think he'd really stay this time?" Guy's words were like a punch in the gut. Asch knew he deserved the skepticism, since he hadn't really been consistent with his relationship with the princess.

"I'm not getting my hopes up." Natalia's voice was cracking; Asch could almost hear the tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want him to leave, but what would make him stay?"

"If I were him, you'd be more than enough to make me stay. If he hurts you again, I'll kick his ass." There was anger in Guy's voice. They Malkuth noble had always been protective of Natalia, and their close relationship had always made Asch a little jealous.

"Guy-" Natalia began, but she didn't finish. She was crying too hard. Asch heard her sobbing grow muffled, and he assumed that Guy was holding her.

Asch had heard enough, he groaned loudly to remind them of his presence and sat up. Feigning ignorance of the situation around him, he looked at Natalia and Guy. "Is everything okay?" Natalia wasn't in Guy's arms, as he had guessed. She had her face buried in a lacy handkerchief.

"It's just a lot to take in," Natalia sighed. "We never thought we would see either of you ever again, but here you are;" a teary-eyed Natalia gestured to Asch with a trembling hand. "Two years later, you appear without warning, alive and well."

"Trust me; I didn't plan _any _of this." Asch started to explain. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I'm back." Asch reached out for Natalia's hand and gently massaged her fingers and palm. "But I don't plan on disappearing on you again."

"What is that supposed to mean to me?" Natalia jerked her hand away. "Am I supposed to believe that two years ago was the last time that you go missing or die or leave me without telling me what you know about what's going to happen? How can I trust you to stay and actually follow through with any promises that you make?" Natalia was yelling at him by this point.

"Natalia," Guy and Asch started in unison. Asch fell silent under the glares of the Kimlascan Princess and the Malkuthian Count.

"Natalia, will you please leave me with Asch for a moment?" There was a dark look in Guy's eyes as he made his request.

"Guy, don't do something you'll regret. I'll give you ten minutes." Natalia picked up her now cold tea and left the room.

As soon as the door shut, Guy turned on Asch. "I don't want you to make any promises that you don't fully intend to keep. You want to promise her your love and affection for the rest of your lives and disappear or die again? Do you realize what you did to her?"

"I didn't-" Asch started, but Guy stopped him with a hand in the air.

"You didn't see her when she found out that you died in Eldrant. You didn't see her sobbing at her coming of age ceremony when she got that damned letter. You didn't help her get better every step of the way while she was getting over your sorry ass!" Guy slammed his fist on the bedside table.

"What would your rather me do?" Asch was angry now. "Tell her that I knew I was dying and wouldn't make it out of Eldrant alive? Do what I really wanted to and ask her to run away with me so we could spend my last living moments together? Ask her to give me her innocence and, knowing my luck, leave her alone with a child who would never meet his dead father?" Asch glared daggers at Guy.

The last question caught Guy's attention. "You mean you two never-?"

"I still have not bedded a woman. And as far as I know, she is also still pure."

"Didn't do the young General with a new lady every night thing?"

"How could I? I saw what my father's past did to my mother, and I didn't want to do that to my future wife. Even in Daath, I heard the rumors of how Duke Fabre's wife tore herself up over not being like his past lovers." Asch sighed, and then returned to glaring at Guy. "I did what I could to protect her heart as much as I could. My resources were pretty limited. I was lucky that Noir actually delivered the letter." Asch's glare melted into a more somber expression. "I just didn't want her to spend her days hung up on me, hoping I would come back again in seven years or something. Would you rather me let her continue clinging to some microscopic hope that I could come back again? I wanted her to have some sort of definite knowledge that I was gone, so she _could_ get over my sorry ass."

Guy gestured to Asch lying in the bed. "And this? What is this supposed to be? How do we know that you won't be running off as soon as you're well again?"

Asch sighed and sat back against his pillows. "If I knew that this was going to happen, I would have asked her to wait for me. Did she tell you about the promise I made to her the night before the battle?"

"You saw her the night before? When? Why not the rest of us?"

"Yeah, I asked her to come meet me at my room at the inn. She did, and I promised her that if and when I came back, I would drop everything from my life as an Oracle Knight and do everything in my power to help her change our country, marriage or not."

"That explains some of your wording from that letter you sent her." Guy rubbed his temple with his fingertips.

"When the replica, I mean, Luke gets back and we're all in the same room, we'll explain what happened after he freed Lorelei. Until then, can you go get Natalia? I want to talk to her alone for a bit. I need to apologize to her. For everything."

Count Gardios sighed and ran his fingers through his short blond hair. "It's about damn time," was all he said before showing himself out the door.

Natalia returned a few moments later, without her mug of tea. She remained close to the door with a fearful look in her eyes, as if coming closer would make the redhead in front of her disappear. Asch patted the mattress next to him, inviting Natalia over. She hesitated, before giving in and coming over to sit in her chair from earlier.

Asch leaned back and closed his eyes. "I don't even know where to begin."

"How about you begin with getting better, you can't do anything else if you're still partially dead." Natalia reached over to him and grasped his hand gently in hers.

"I don't mean that, I mean what to apologize for. What do I apologize for first? Not telling you the truth about Luke being my replica? Being cold and indifferent towards you after you found out? Lying to you about coming back that night two years ago in Chesedonia? Keeping your hopes up until you received that damned letter that I wrote?"

"You don't have to apologize, Asch. You're here and alive, and that's all that matters to me." Natalia squeezed Asch's hand reassuringly and whispered, "don't let whatever Guy said earlier get to you and make you feel as if I'm angry with you after these years."

"You mean, you're just going to forgive me just like that?" Asch couldn't believe his eyes when the princess nodded in response. "Why? After I treated you so awfully, and broke your heart, why would you forgive me before I even properly apologized."

"If our positions had been reversed, I wouldn't have been as selfless as you." The blonde princess leaned forward in her chair, massaging Asch's calloused palm with her tiny fingers. "You could have asked me to run away and abandon our duties to the people of Auldrant at any moment, but you didn't. You love the people of our country and even our world too much to do that, and I don't think I could have made that choice as nobly as you did. You showed your true colors during our few moments alone during that year. You were cold at times because you had to be and you took the precautions necessary to make it as painless as possible for me, so what more could I ask for?" Asch sat speechless in the bed. Natalia making a selfish decision didn't seem like a possibility, but she seemed so sure that she would have.

"Natalia, I-" Asch began, but Natalia stopped him.

"If you're going to make an excuse, don't, I don't want you beating yourself up about this anymore." Asch opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off. "Don't tell me you aren't, I can see it in your eyes."

"Guy told me how hard you took things, how am I supposed to make that up to you if you won't let me?" Asch growled in frustration.

"Just spend what time you do have helping me rebuild Kimlasca. You don't have to make good on any other promises, just promise me that you'll help make our country a better place for the people of Kimlasca to live." Natalia released his hand and stood. "I have to go meet the doctor somewhere soon. I'll bring him back and have him examine you and Luke once he's here." She left Asch alone in the small room with just his thoughts to keep him company.

* * *

**A/N: Don't forget to read and review! **


	3. Chapter 3

The doctor came in and, under the watchful eyes of Jade, Natalia, and Tear; gave Asch and Luke full physical checkups. He checked their vital signs and had them do all kinds of stretches to make sure their bodies were functioning well. Luke was given a perfect bill of health, his blood fonons were great and his physique was better than it had been when he freed Lorelei. Asch, on the other hand, was still weak. He moved more like an old man than a 20 year old former General. It pained the original to even get out of bed for the physical. At the end of Asch's physical, the doctor adjusted his glasses and examined the worried faces before him. "I suggest getting Asch into some kind of physical therapy if he wants to make a full recovery. Keep him away from alcohol," This received a groan from Asch. "And make sure he has a healthy diet. Dr. Balfour, do you have anything to add?"

Jade looked up, having been lost in thought. "I plan on asking His Imperial Majesty for a temporary leave of absence so I may observe these two. I can take over Asch's physical therapy, if needed. In fact, it would probably be best, so there is no possibility of miscommunication between different medical providers."

The doctor nodded in agreement, his lined face fixed in a neutral expression. "That's a fine idea. I hope you intend to record your practices and publish them later?" This earned a dirty look from Natalia, Tear, and the two redheads.

"I won't necessarily publish them. The boys are not a science experiment. If they feel that their experiences would be beneficial to future replica and original pairs like them and they are fine with the world knowing about their personal lives, then I may publish my observations. However, my concern is not publishing right now. I just want to make sure that these two won't experience fonon separation again."

Luke piped up, "I'm fine with my experiences being shared, but I can't speak for Asch."

"I just want to be able to walk on my own without being in pain. Can we start with that before deciding if you're going to tell everybody in Auldrant about life experiences that my own mother didn't know about until a couple of years ago?" Asch grimaced in pain as he tried to get up, but fell back down. Natalia rushed to his side and lent him her shoulder. Trying not to put all of his weight on the Princess, Asch allowed her to help him up. "We're going to go sit outside, I need some fresh air."

Natalia helped Asch shuffle out of the room and along the hallway. "Have you felt any improvement since you've been resting? I can't imagine what it must be like, to come back to life like that." Her question meant well, but it reminded Asch of why he was in so much pain.

"When I woke up with the rep- I mean Luke in Eldrant's remains, I was a lot worse off. My body was as if no time had passed, I just didn't have any swords sticking out of me." Asch stopped Natalia to kiss her chastely on the cheek. "Thank you for healing me. You reacted with the clear head that I knew you could." They resumed shuffling down the hall; with Natalia taking care to set a pace that wouldn't aggravate Asch's healing body.

"So what happened when you were in the Fon Belt? Were you," Natalia paused, not sure how to word her question. "I'm not sure what the proper word is, but were you _aware_ that you were in the Fon Belt?"

Asch stared at the ground ahead of them as they made slow progress towards the door, "It was more than being aware. It was as if we were part of the Fon Belt ourselves. We were still separate entities, but we were nothing more than conscious thoughts. It's almost like how cities are part of a country. They have their own governing bodies and citizens, but those are all a part of the larger country." Asch looked up. "Luke and I were constantly aware, even as the rest of the world slept below us. It gave us no choice but to talk to each other. I wasn't too fond of the idea, but it got pretty lonely after just a couple of days. Two years gave us a better understanding of our situation." They had made it outside and Natalia was helping him to sit down on a bench. "I realized that he's not just my replica. You guys don't see us like that; Mother and Father don't see us like that. The only people who really saw us like that were Van and the other God Generals. It helped me gain some peace with some of my own issues."

"I'm glad that you found _some _peace. You never said it out loud, but I could see how much it bothered you when you would see him with Guy and me." Natalia sat down beside him and took his hand into hers.

Asch observed their surroundings. The town around them looked familiar, but he couldn't identify where they were. He knew he hadn't recognized the inn that they had just exited, but that was to be expected. He hadn't stayed in many inns before he died. "Where are we?"

"We're in Yulia City. We didn't want to take too long to get you into a bed. It looks so different without the Miasma everywhere. They built this inn to accommodate all of the visitors from the Outer Lands. It's quite the tourist destination now."

"It doesn't look nearly as haunting as it did before we neutralized the Miasma. I haven't been here since right after Akzeriuth." He took a closer look at his surroundings. He recognized that area where he knew the city hall and residential areas were. The city had exploded in the two years that he had been gone. There were a couple of shops open; and he could see a man selling produce from Engeve from a cart not too far away from them. Asch rested his head on Natalia's shoulder.

"Would you like to return to your room?" Natalia asked him gently.

"No, this is fine. I can't stand being confined in that room. I know I don't have much choice in it, but being outside is so nice after however long I was in there."

"That's fine; just tell me when you want to go back in." Natalia guided him back gently, so they could lean on the back of the bench.

Asch looked up into Natalia's hazel eyes. "So how have you been? What have you been up to since Eldrant?"

Natalia sighed, "Kimlasca and Malkuth have been working together to help the world adjust to life with the Score. A lot of babies were born 9 months after we all returned home, so we had a lot of angry parents who wanted a Score reading for their children's birth." Natalia shook her head, "Things are finally quieting down about the Score. People are realizing that it isn't coming back and they're accepting it."

"That doesn't surprise me. People would get a little too crazy about the Score. Once, when I was still just an unranked soldier, I had to escort a Scorer home every night because people kept harassing him about what they should have for dinner or what clothes they should wear the next day. I never really understood that kind of dependence on the Score, but I guess it's because I knew how my Score ended."

Natalia frowned, knowing that he meant that the Score predicted for him to die for the sake of "prosperity" on Auldrant. "We overturned the Score, though."

"I still died for the benefit of everybody else." Asch snapped. "Auldrant just didn't get the unprecedented prosperity that the Score promised."

Natalia was taken aback at Asch's sudden harshness, but didn't let it faze her. "You may have died, but you weren't the one the Score was talking about. Since you no longer went by Luke, you weren't the Light of the Sacred Flame anymore. We all overturned the Score of Destruction; the Score that spoke of plagues and continued poisoning by the miasma and the end of Auldrant as we know it. You _chose_ to risk your life back in Eldrant just like the rest of us. Would you rather have not and ended up with a replica world? Do you really resent Auldrant and the Score so much that you would have rather died anyway and not have the chance to come back? Would you have let your Mother and my Father die because Van destroyed the world they live on so he could make his sick replica world a reality?" Asch flinched at the mention of his mother, wishing he had thought before speaking about his frustrations. "I know you're frustrated, but you aren't the only one whose life was thrown out of control because of the Score. What about Luke or Guy? What about Sync and the Ion that I knew? What about me? I was only born because the Score told Badaq and Sylvia that they needed to have a child. I was to be executed by the man who raised me as his child because of the Score. Instead of getting angry over the past, why not help us fix the issues of the present day so we don't have to worry about these problems in the future?" Natalia's gentle voice had an edge to it that he wasn't used to hearing, and it made him realize how selfish he sounded.

Asch sighed, "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just hard getting out of my old mindset. I spent more than seven years hating the Score. If Van didn't know about the Score of Destruction, I wouldn't have been replicated and I would have just perished in Akzeriuth none the wiser. So I guess it's a good thing that Van tried to make his replica world, because then none of this would have happened." Asch smiled at Natalia, whose mouth was still set into a slight frown.

"Let's get you back to bed; you need to rest up before we go back to Baticul." Natalia stood, and stooped so Asch could put his arm around her. They were almost to Asch's room inside when he realized that Natalia had been carrying most of his weight on her own with little effort.

"You know, you're really strong for a princess." He remarked, watching her face for any sign of offense at his observation.

"I spent a year fighting monsters with soldiers like Tear and Jade, I had to become strong. After Eldrant, I never stopped training, since I didn't want to continue relying on so many personal guards. However, I was never weak to begin with. Have you ever shot a Lanvaldear style bow? It's not like the toy bow I got when I was eight; you can't draw it back without some kind of arm strength." Natalia wasn't offended as much as she was amused. Everybody knew she was a master archer, but they had never considered the physical strength that it took to fire with such precision and speed. After Eldrant, she had a taken up a couple of lessons in swordsmanship, so she wouldn't need to fully rely on her bow. She was no master with the blade, but she could defend herself at close ranged if needed.

"Maybe when I regain my strength, we can train together." Asch joked with a chuckle.

"Then we need to get you back to Baticul soon so we can begin your therapy." Natalia smiled sweetly. "You can't get better just sleeping in an inn." Natalia opened the door to his room. They shuffled to the bed, and Natalia gently let Asch sit down on it. She held the blankets up for him so he could get underneath them with minimal effort on his part, and then tucked the covers around him when he was settled. She kissed him briefly on the lips and tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear. Looking up at the window, she could see the sun setting over the ocean.

She began to leave, when she heard him call softly. "Wait, stay with me until I fall asleep." She smiled sweetly and sat in the chair by his bed, holding his hand and playing gently with his rough fingers as he drifted off. Once he was snoring, she rose quietly and slipped out the door and down the hall to the room she was sharing with Tear.

Tear was tending to her knives when Natalia slipped in. She looked up from her whetstone and surveyed the blonde. "How is he?"

"Same old Asch, he's frustrated about needing therapy, but I know he'll recover." Natalia kicked her shoes off and sat on the bed opposite of Tear. "What about Luke? I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet."

"He's been really quiet and distant. He won't talk to me about what happened. I haven't ever seen him like this." Tear put her knives and whetstone on the bedside table. "Should we get a therapist for them? Or should we wait and see what happens first?"

Natalia leaned back on her arms, "I suppose we should at least get in touch with a therapist just in case. I can't imagine what they must be going through right now. And it's only been just a couple of days. What's going to happen if and when they resume their duties as Viscounts and members of the Royal Family? How will Asch adjust to living in Baticul and reconnecting with his parents after almost ten years? It's going to be so complicated for a while and I just hope that they'll let us help them in any way we can."

"I understand what you mean. Asch is a soldier and he's probably going to have issues with adjusting to life as a civilian, like I did. And considering how stubborn he is, he may have issues asking for help if he needs it. I think we just need to pay attention to them both and do what we can based on their needs."

"We leave for Baticul tomorrow. Their parents and my Father are trying to get their bedroom back in order. It was only built for one person, so one of them may have to live at the palace. Probably Asch so Jade can stay in a room nearby."

"I can't imagine that Fabre Manor holds many pleasant memories for Asch since the he was kidnapped, either. The Palace is probably the best option for him either way." Tear paused, in thought. "I know that I can't stay in my grandfather's home now that I know the truth about Van. Everything in the house reminds me of growing up with him and how he betrayed our family and the world for his crazy ideals. I know it's not the same, but it's the best that I can relate to the situation. Maybe it's best that we let Luke and Asch decide who stays where."

"That sounds reasonable. I know that Father is going to throw a small welcome home feast for them after they get settled tomorrow. We'll just have to see what happens after that."

"I agree. Do you know if Guy will be joining us?"

"I'm not sure. I'll ask him tomorrow before we board the Albiore. I wouldn't blame him if he chose not to go back to Baticul with us. He's not too happy with Asch, and his hatred of Duke Fabre may make visiting Baticul just all the more unattractive to him."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading guys! Don't forget to review! **


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